20112209 Wrt-NewsletterIssue4 Arrival in Theatre-U

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35 Engineer Regiment Group introduces the TrojanTimes

Commanding Officer‟s Foreword This is the first issue of the 35 Engineer Regimental Group Newsletter, „The

Trojan Times‟. It will be issued every fortnight in the hope that it keeps you in-formed and entertained on the lighter side of our deployment here in HelmandProvince. The Trojan Times has many functions – it informs you, our wider Regimental family of what we are up to on Op HERRICK in Afghanistan. Weaim to inform not just those loved ones in Paderborn, but also Aldergrove andthe extended relatives of those serving out here as part of the RegimentalGroup. It also lets those soldiers deployed forward know of what has been go-ing on for our families at home; the parties, trips and inevitable nuclear winter in Germany or Ireland. Lastly, with many of our soldiers based in pretty aus-tere locations, the Trojan Times is their only way of reading what is happeningelsewhere within our area of operations. I hope you find it an informative, hu-morous and an illustrative record of our deployment.

As Commanding Officer, I‟ve been really impressed with the professionalismand tenacity already demonstrated by every Squadron and Department duringwhat has been a hectic handover with 24 Commando Engineer Regiment. 24Commando have had a very successful tour and are now returning to either Hohne (much of 32 Engineer Regiment deployed to support them) or Chivenor in North Devon. They have done tremendous work over here and I believe wewill continue to take it forward. The insurgency is clearly on the back foot, withthe much expected „summer offensive‟ being nothing more than an ill -concentrated and uncoordinated series of attacks. Despite such success insuppressing the insurgent, HERRICK 14 has sadly suffered numerous loss of

life and injury. Such a cost really focuses the mind and has already made animpact on how we operate and move around Helmand.

We have now all deployed into our forward locations. Most of the Squadronhave split themselves down into 8 man Section groups, with each one workingalongside the Infantry in developing security in their area. As you can imagine,many locations are pretty basic – the only thing to do in your spare time is „doweights‟ in order to develop a chiselled torso by R&R. Even in RHQ there is acompetition between the Adjutant, (Gus Rule) and the Ops Offr, (Nick Piper) toget the biggest 'Guns' – they hope to be extras on Baywatch during the nextfilming in May 2012. As you can imagine, the sales of muscle enhancing pow-der is gaining momentum (other than a slush puppy in Camp Bastion -Creatine, Promax and Progain are the only things worth buying).

Inside this issue:

29 AES - The firstweek in theatre (seepage 9 for the Squad-ron Photo)

3

37 AES - Welcome toAfghanistan

10

44 HQ & SP SQN -Change over of OC

18

77 Talisman Squad-

ron - Conco early arri-

val

22

Welcome 11 Field

Squadon

28

Caption Competition

NEW!

17

Official introduction of

baby Hector NEW!

33

Ellies Blog NEW! 21

Look forward to……. 29

Issue 4

19 September 2011

Welcome toThe TROJAN TIMES

Page 1



I‟ve already been on the ground with the RSM. Sadly there are no photos of the trip – the RSM said he

didn‟t want to take pictures whilst our kit looked too clean – sorry. Although we look like two charactersfrom „Call of Duty‟, our uniform looked too new. We‟ll get more when we next go on our travels aroundthe area. However, it was good to get out and see the blokes and how they have settled into their variousoperating bases. Many have already been in touch with home, but some will be away from any form of communication for some time - please be patient, they'll get to a phone soon enough. Importantly, theyare confident, well-trained and already making a difference to those they are supporting.

For those in Camp Bastion there was a visit from Cheryl Cole, the Forces Sweetheart, over the last fewdays. Sadly we (the Regimental Headquarters) didn‟t get a look in – although I heard she winked at Cap-tain Joe Monaghan and left her phone number with one of my Squadron Commanders. Typical, 3 Com-mando got Cheryl; I bet we get Jedwood.

Lastly, I hope everything is going OK back in Germany and Northern Ireland. I know the Rear OperationsGroup, as well as some excellent volunteers amongst the wives, are working hard to make the separationgo easier and I hope it is the same for those in Aldergrove as well. It has been great to see the FamilySunday Lunches and the huge donation of electronics for „Bridges‟, the welfare facility within Barker Bar-

racks.

I hope you enjoy this first issue.

Lieutenant Colonel Kev Copsey - Commanding Officer

Page 2



THE FIRST WEEK IN THEATRE

29 Armoured Engineer Squadron – Op HERRICK 15

Officer Commanding Introduction

We have finally made the long trip to Afghanistan and have begun our tour of duty on Op HERRICK 15. It has been a challenging nine months

preparing for our role here but as the handover with 39 Armoured Engi-neer Squadron comes to a close I am confident that we are ready. Oncethe main body arrived in Camp Bastion it was great to see the welcom-ing faces of the early deploying individuals; Sgt Alecks and SSgt Mat-thews had definitely caught the sun! Prior to deploying out on theground in Lash kar gah and Nare-E-Sarej we have all completed fivedays training on basic skills and two days on combat engineering. Thistraining provided by the departing troops from 24 Commando Engineer Regiment was excellent and definitely set the Squadron ready to takeon their first tasks. The majority of the articles in this addition focus ontelling the tales of that week of training and final preparations.

One of the advantages of being in Camp Bastion is the access to the internet and welfarephones; it is possible to communicate home in the evenings after the long training days and it hasbeen great to hear about home. I can also report that the mail comes through pretty quickly andyou can definitely spot the guys who have received a bluey or parcel – they can‟t stop showingeveryone else! We have found that the best method is e-bluey as they get printed and sealedhere in Afghanistan and it beats an email, not for speed but it is a brilliant feeling to open a letter.

The handover with 39 Armoured Engineer Squadron is now complete and they are making their

way back to Hohne. It was a strange feeling waving them off but they deserve the break and itsgreat now that our time has finally started and we will be as proud and rewarded in six monthstime. The vast majority of 29 Sqn are now out on the ground living in the Check Points and PatrolBases with the Infantry Companies. Our work here has begun and there appears to be plenty todo! We will update you as often as possible in this newsletter and on Facebook.

Finally I would ask that you do let Staff Sergeant Frankie Corrado in Paderborn know of any infor-mation or changes you would like to our entry in the Trojan Times. The Editor, Staff Sergeant JimSnell, will get right on it.

Yours

OC Major S Carvel Page 3



Greetings and salutationsStaff Sergeant James Snell

A big hello from the No.1 holiday destination half way across the world. That‟s right, Camp Bas-tion. Home to approximately 30,000 people, military & civilian alike. With a size of 6 miles longand 3 miles wide, it gives you some perspective of its grand size. With the amount of sand in thearea it is a shame that there is no beach or bar in sight!

The Sqn has now reformed with all of the individual parties amalgamated. All parties have gonethrough the rigorous Reception Staging Onward Integration (RSOI) package. The days havebeen long, very warm and extremely essential. The package has been worthwhile, revising theskills and drills of which we have learnt over the Mission Specific Training (MST). The articles inthe 29 Sqn Newsletter are from our young „Sappers‟ perspective of which will give you an idea of what we have been up to over the past few weeks whilst deploying. In this issue two articles areabout our journey across to get here from Germany & one article is on the RSOI package.

By the time you read this, the Sqn will have taken over the Task Force Helmand Engineer role;deployed forward to Patrol Bases and begun work in support of the 1 Rifles and 4 Scots Com-bined Forces. Morale is high, probably helped by the good weather, and everyone is eager to geton with the tasks in hand. Enjoy the issue...

Page 4

Cpl Tiley, LCpl Davies and Spr Jones enjoying the

new sunshine



The Advance Parties Long Road to Afghanistan via BirminghamLance Corporal Mathew Davies - Echelon

It was the morning of 24th September 2011 and at the time, it‟s what I considered to be a warmmorning in Paderborn. This was the start of our epic journey to Afghanistan. After a bus drive toHannover we flew to Birmingham to pick up our hire cars to drive to RAF Brize Norton. Once atRAF Brize Norton, we found out that we wouldn‟t be checking in for our flight until 0200hrs somost of the lads took this opportunity to go down to the local shops and get things like books andmagazines to keep them entertained for the

long wait.

We finally boarded the aircraft and got settledinto our seats for the journey ahead not forget-ting to pay attention to the mandatory „the exitsare here, here and here‟ briefings. LeavingRAF Brize Norton far behind us we flew backover Germany and landed in Dubai. Lookingout of the window of the plane and seeing themanmade island in the shape of a massive

palm tree was quite a sight.

Getting off the plane in Dubai was somethingelse. The heat instantly took your breath away so it was quite a relief to be quickly led to someair conditioned buildings to wait for our onward flight on a C-17. After about two hours on a C-17we landed in Bastion about 2200hrs local time and were shepherded through the booking in proc-ess. After a few briefings we collected our bags and met some of the lads from 39 Armoured En-gineer Squadron who, funnily enough, were ex-tremely pleased to see us!

The first whole day in Afghanistan is called DayZero which allowed us to get all of our adminsorted out and also have a look around the de-partments we would be working in. The nextfive days were spent conducting ReceptionStaging and Onward Integration (RSOI) trainingwhich covered revision and up to date lessonson everything we had covered over the lastyear. There were some extremely long days butthe training gave everybody confidence in their

drills and skills. We are now ready to go andlooking forward to the challenges ahead.

Page 5

The journey, a time to catch up on

sleep

The end of a long day in Afghanistan



The Main Body Journey to Afghanistan – The Last StepSapper Didsbury – 5 Troop

We were originally meant to fly at 0001hours on Sunday 4 September 20 11 but the flight wasdelayed by a bird strike on the plane – the birds did not refuse to work – one flew into the planecausing some damage. We paraded 24hours later and this time made it to Hannover but notwithout a 2 hour wait on the parade square for the coaches. By the time we made it to Hannover it was about 0600hours and we were all pretty exhausted. Once on the plane everyone slepteven though it was daylight.

After a brief stop off in Cyprus to refuel and some more food, we got back on the plane for Bas-tion. It still seemed unreal that we were finally off to the place that we had heard so much aboutand trained so long for, although the novelty quickly wore off as we donned body armour and hel-mets once over Afghanistan ready for landing. We disembarked at about midnight Afghan timefollowed by some briefs and filling in some forms which start the extra allowance for being de-ployed on Operations. We then collected our luggage and got shown to our tents, it was about0300hours by the time we were in bed. We had to be ready for a 0530hours wake up and „Death

by PowerPoint‟ to a level we had never experienced before…

All in all it was a long journey but we are excited to be here and looking forward to the next sixmonths.

Page 6

Cpl Pole

First stop, Cyprus. After the day of ‘death by power-

point’ he was wishing he had not left



Reception Staging and Onward Integration (RSOI) Package

Craftsman Stephen McKernon and Sapper Matthew Chadwick - 6 Troop

Having stepped off the plane onto Afghan soil in the early hours of the morning, we were all look-ing forward to our Day Zero to get ourselves rested and prepared. Unfortunately, our Day Zerolasted for only a couple of hours, (due to our extended 24 hours in Paderborn) and we rolledstraight into day 1 of our RSOI training. Day 1 consisted of a full day of PowerPoint presenta-tions, ranging from local culture, to the education courses we could attend during deployment.The briefs were very informative, but many struggled with the long day after only a short sleep

the night before. Everyone was relieved to retire back to the tented accommodation for a well-deserved rest at the end of the day.

Day 2 was, un-surprisingly, another early start! After donning our body armour and day-sacks,we were walked down to the ranges to make sure our weapon sights had not been damaged onthe long journey across. Today was to be our first full day under the Afghan sun, staying hydratedis the key to success. We were drinking litre after litre of Camp Bastions finest, (water that is bot-tled on site) to make sure we were fully prepared for the day. Today was also our first day of eat-ing the food in the famous Bastion 3 cook house, an excellent selection kept us well fed for theday. After a few more lectures under our belts we were done for the day.

Up early again found us taking part in the Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices (C-IED) trainingrun by fellow Sappers! This was a welcome change as it included practical skills that will be vitalduring the tour. The day began with equipment briefs and moved onto the latest skills and drillsthat are being used on the ground. Excellent tuition and realistic scenarios filled us all with confi-dence, in our own ability to apply the skills learnt in pre-deployment training onto the hard bakedAfghan soil.

Page 7

Counter IED drills being put to the

test under the watchful eye of Royal

Engineer Counter IED experts



Day 4 began with a lie in as we didn‟t have to be up until0615hours! Another day of useful lectures and practicallessons on detainee handling, searching techniques andvehicle Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) set up beforewe practiced our vehicle roll over drills in the afternoon.Vital skills were practiced in a vehicle simulator that canspin you a full 360 degrees! Its only downside was thelack of air conditioning compared to the real vehicle and

after 40 minutes of spinning and crawling in full kit every-one was ready to be out in the fresh air.

RSOI concluded on Day 5 with small test exercise that allowed us to put into practice all the skillswe had developed over the past few days. With OC Major Carvel selected to lead the mixedCompany group, we moved down into a small replica Afghan village where Afghan civilians roleplay scenarios in the training area. We split down into our troops to patrol around the area and

interact with the local population through interpreters. We used our counter IED skills to great ef-fect uncovering a number of training devices and rendering them safe by using the specialistswho would be flown out to where ever you are to provide assistance. With information gatheredand IEDs made safe for the locals we returned to the base sweaty and hot, but safe in the knowl-edge that we have learnt a lot over the last 10 months and feel ready to go out on the ground anddo the job for real.

Page 8

LCpl Potts—ready for action

Confirmation day, all the skills learnt are put to the test



Page 9

2 9 A r m o u r e d E n g i n e e r S q u a d r o n

O p e r a t i o n H e r r i c k 1 5

— S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 1



37 Armoured Engineer Squadron


It's good to be here and the whole Squadron is

buzzing at the prospect of what will be a busy and

demanding tour. I've been to all but one of the ar-

eas where we will be based initially and the livingconditions are good (relatively speaking!), although

a touch more austere than the 'slipper city' of BAS-

TION. Everywhere has access to the Paradigm

phone network so I expect you will all get a phone

call from the weekly 30 minute allowance in the very

near future! We have a whole load of interesting

tasks on the cards from bridge laying to constructing

new patrol bases to upgrading and improving the

current ones. Reports from all the tasks will be contained in the newsletters and we will also get

some photos on to Facebook, ArmyNet and up into the Squadron Families Room.

In terms of R&R, the draft dates are now in and we are waiting for final de-confliction between the

Squadrons before going firm (I know you realise we will still all be subject to changes of the flight

plan over the period of R&R in any case). I hope the first weeks back home have not been too

bad and you are now all settling in to a routine. Please do get in touch with the rear party if you

have concerns that we can help with, and remember there are regular coffee mornings, lunches

and trips organised by the excellent Rear Ops team if you are after a bit of social activity.

Guy Boxall

Page 10



37 Armd Engr Sqn Week One

Capt Dominic Riley

Eight months of hard training and suddenly we're here! Joint Operating Base BASTION, or JOB

BSN for short, the all singing, all dancing, personnel and equipment hub of the British Army in Af-

ghanistan. Dust coated, sun scorched, dry baked, home... BASTION. Home to countless sol-

diers; British, American, Afghan and Dane. For those of us who are here for the first time and

even for those of us who have been before

the sheer size of this base is still a shock.Larger than Aldershot this sprawling camp

consists of not just one BASTION but four,

curiously numbered from zero to three. As if

that wasn't a big enough then Camp

LEATHERNECK the American base and

Camp SHORABAK the command hub of the

Afghan National Army (ANA) are tagged on

to the side of the BASTIONs. Some of us

still remember when you had to go outside of

the wire to get to Camp SHORABAK.

Arriving on the Air strip in BASTION is a surreal experience. The pilot will shut out the lights and

drop in hard and fast, the sound of the strain on the wings and engine strangely eerie in the com-

plete darkness inside the main part of the aircraft. Your body armour clammy against your skin,

the man next to you tightly packed in, your legs and arms touching the side of the 'not quite big

enough' seats. The landing is swift and well practised, the pilots, veterans of these late night de-

scents into the heart of the desert. Then the movers are hustling you off the plane into a coach

that has clearly been left over from the seventies. Every gap in its internal fittings packed hard

with sand, its plaid and brown stripes in sharp contrast to the multi-terrain pattern of the newcombats. Packed in you're ferried across the airstrip, its lit tarmac could be anywhere in the

world if it wasn't for the heat of the night and the dust clogging the air.

Bags collected and personnel 'moved and tracked' into theatre and having been welcomed by the

broad figure of SSgt Rowland, a welcoming sight after so much time travelling, you move into

communal accommodation for the night. If your lucky you get the next day to sort yourself and

your kit out, if your not then its straight on to Day 1 of RSOI (Reception Staging and Onward Inte-

gration) training.

Gooooooooooooood Morning Afghanistan!!

Page 11

Home sweet Home. Sunrise in Camp Bastion



Page 12

Welcome To AfghanistanSapper Carter-Smith

After a few minor delays, thanks to the RAF, we finally arrived in Afghanistan safely . As we had

arrived after 12 am we started our 5 day RSOI

package on DAY 0 which meant we got to have a

much needed shower and a few hours shut eye .

Waking up feeling half human we were bussed to

our main accommodation on BASTION 1.

Day 1 was a day filled with everyone‟s favourite

briefing...„Death by PowerPoint‟. Staring at a screen

for hours in 40+ degree heat, most fell victim to the

„nodding dog‟. This was routinely cured by firing

water pistols at the 'nodders' which kept things

amusing while the

briefs continued thick and fast. These ranged from health and

safety, 'what not to wear', what not to eat, what not to touch, what

not to drink and the usual operational safety stuff.

Day 2 was an early start with a brisk walk in the Afghan heat to the

ranges where we checked our weapons and had more briefs.

These briefs were far more interactive and meant we got to role

around in the dirt!

Day 3 was more of a hands on

day where we got to practiceand perfect our drills and skills

with the various search meth-

ods, although this involved lying

around in the dirt as well. We

were fast getting used to breathing in sand and fine dust by

now because whenever you open your mouth here it‟s in-

stantly filled with dust. It leaves your mouth feeling like you

licked the inside of a hoover bag!

Camp Bastion accommodation, what more

could you ask for?

Day 3, Lt Cole takes nod-

ding dog to the next level.

Practicing search drills



Page 13

Day 4 we had our last few briefs and our

RODET training which is similar to an Al-

ton Towers ride. You sit in a mock vehi-

cle and practice 'roll over drills' in case of

a vehicle accident. This is quite good fun

as long as you don‟t mind hanging upside

down in a vehicle by the seat belts. I'm

sure you can imagine the mess when you

release yourself from the harness with all

of your kit on to crawl through an escapehatch! You may not be shocked to here

that the Army has a drill for this too.

Day 5 and finally, our last day. This was a mini exercise where we spent a few hours in a Patrol

Base taking patrols out into the nearby village rehearsing search and awareness skills. All this

training took place within BASTION's huge fence line, it all went pretty well and we found it very

useful. All the guys have taken something away from all the lessons. Mainly that we have

trained long, hard and in great detail to enable us all to do the job we came to do which puts us in

a very good position when we move to the FOBs and PBs to start Engineering.

Range Day, hot and dusty just as expected.

RSOI finished. Spr Carter-smith, LCpl Drummond, Spr Pascoe, Cpl

Simpson and LCpl Atkinson, lean, mean, building machines ready for anything.



Out the Door Capt Dominic Riley

After RSOI, (which is designed to be a refresher of everything we have learnt to date as well as a

chance to learn the latest, theatre specific, tactics, techniques and procedures) the real work be-

gins in the form of the hand over of the Squadron and its operations from 26 Armd Engr Sqn.

The Engineer camp is situated in the middle of BASTION 1 next to the parade square (you can't

get away from them) and a stones throw from the gym and cookhouse. Everyone has been is-

sued their 'Paradigm' phone and internet cards and hopefully have had the chance to give loved

ones a call back home.

Much of the preparation has already been done;

Sgt Hubbard and SSgt Rowland, our 'Continuity

NCOs' have worked hard to pave the way for the

Squadron's arrival. A few quick briefs and a final

word from the OC, Maj Boxall about how we're

going to do business, and it's time to brief the

troops about their jobs and where they can call

home for the next couple of months. During the

brief the faces of the Staff Sgts are stoic, veteransof many a campaign they have been here before.

The Troop Commanders sit on the edge of their

seats, leaning in, hanging on every word the OC

says. Lts Abbott, Dow and Cole have been train-

ing, solidly for almost three full years for this very

deployment, their excitement and apprehension is

almost uncontrollable. Knowing glances pass between SSgt Scott, Adcock and Norman, there's

clearly going to be some ribbing and wind ups going on later, as they attempt to reassure their

respective Troop commanders helping to bring them back to earth.

Then it's on with the show. 26 Armd Engr Sqn have prepared two days of theatre specific engi-

neer training for us and there are a few more driving and gunnery courses to get through.

Squadron Head Quarters (SHQ) and the Troop HQs are busy getting briefs and planning cycles,

as well as co-ordination forward with the locations we will be working from. Our Operations Offi-

cer and Battle Group Engineer Capt Laura Carr (an experienced Engineer Captain, who sits in

the Battle Group HQ and gives advice to both the Infantry HQ and the Troop Commanders on the

ground) has been here for a month, getting ahead of us for the handover and getting stuck into all

the processes. We will be spending the first month with the outgoing infantry battle groups,

learning from their experience before the new battle groups arrive so its great to have someonehere who is settled and understands all the various systems involved with engineer work.

Page 14

Work for the next six months



Cpl Roberts is busy doing fitness training programmes for half the squadron and the Quarter

Master Capt Monaghan is busy driving the blokes around getting all our kit, vehicles and ancillar-

ies ready for when we go out the gate. Spr Nicholl owes a crate for losing his ID card the day be-

fore we left Paderborn and 8 Troop have been seen making their kit look 'Ali', SSgt Norman is

suspected of being to blame! SSM has established a few different running routes around BAS-

TION for the Echelon and SHQ groups during an epic three hour run (he assures me that the

over long run was in absolutely no way due navigational embar-

rassment!)

A few sappers have been thrust into the lime light, Spr Lear (with

his every present grin) and Spr Talbot as trained SLDT(P) (single

loading dump truck (protected)) and EPLS (enhanced palletised

loading system), respectively, have the job of taking over the two

most useful vehicles in theatre. The first a valuable aid to con-

struction and the second a valuable aid to shifting stores to site;

both of which require specialist courses to drive and operate.

We will be sending our advance parties to the Forward Operating

Base (FOB) locations shortly. They will conduct a three day handover before the main bodies

move out to the locations as well. So what will we be doing? Our first tasks will include the up-

grade and winterisation of one of the FOBs, a route upgrade to allow local and military traffic to

use a route next to a canal safely and the strip

out of an old and degrading bridge that will be

replaced by a new one. Being Sappers we will

be straight into it, a useful character to know is

your Sapper, a jack of all trades and master of

several! All the skills and courses we have

done will be put to good use during the tour and the lads are chomping at the bit to get on

the ground and build for real. This will be a nice

change from having to strip everything out after

building it as is what happens on exercise.

Page 15

Transport to the FOB awaits

On the move, ready and raring to go.



During the tour we will be sending as much information and as many pictures as we can back to

the Rear Operations Group (ROG). These will take the format of a bi-weekly Regimental Newsletter, a weekly blog on Army Net from the Second in Command all of which will be printed out

and displayed in our ROG families room in RHQ on Barker Barracks.

We are busy preparing the R'n'R dates now but to all families, please be prepared to be flexible,

the dates are only provisional and have to be worked in to the RAF's movement plan which could

cause dates to shift to the left or right. Additionally, occasionally due to technical or air clearance

delays, R'n'R flights may not leave on time! As if that wasn't frustrating enough last December

Brize Norton and Hannover closed for two weeks due to inclement weather delaying all R'n'R by

2 weeks. The upshot, you're loved ones WILL get R'n'R it just may not be when you are expect-ing! Best to save those holiday plans for the end of tour!

From all of us forward here in BASTION a huge thank you to the ROG for getting us out here in

good order and a huge thank you to all of you waiting at home. Your support as ever is invalu-

able. Till the next update all the best from all the 37 Armd Engr Sqn management team.

Page 16

It is not all work and no play, there is always time

for a spot of monopoly

Even the OC has five minutes to relax



Caption CompetitionWelcome to the Trojan Times caption competition. Each edition will have two photographs for

you to come up with what you think is the best caption. Caption suggestions can be put on a

bluey to Capt Peake, THF Engr Gp, BFPO 792 clearly labelled with the senders name and Cap-

tion Competition. The best caption will be announced in the following edition. The funnier the

better, but keep them clean(ish)

Caption 1

Caption 2

Page 17

QM 37 Armoured Engineer SquadronSpr Carter-Smith



44 HQ & SP SQN NEWS


Allow me to start my foreword for the Tojan Times by introducing myself. I am Major Chris Darkeand I have recently taken over the role of Officer Commanding (OC) for 44 Head Quarters & Sup-port Squadron from Major Steve White and I will remain in the position of OC for the duration of Op HERRICK 15.

As I am sure you are all aware the squadron have all arrived safe and sound and are now settlinginto Camp BASTION. After an initial admin day, for those lucky enough not to be delayed, thesquadron moved straight in to the Receiption Staging & Onward Integration (RSOI) of which I am

sure you will see plenty of pictures. This initial training was followed closely by Special to Armtraining which meant early mornings and several late evenings for all.

On completion of this training we all moved very swiftly into an intensive handover/takeover phase from 24 Commando Engineer Regiment Group. The handover phase is to ensure that allvehicles, equipment, stores and Engineer Resources are accounted for to enable us to effectivelysupport the Field Squadrons scattered around Helmand Province. The handover has been acomplete success and the squadron is now in a good position to carry out all expected, and un-expected, tasks.

At midday on the 17 Sept 11 the squadron flag was raised and we are now firmly and confidently„in the chair‟. It may sound as if it has been all work, ok the majority has been, however we have

been fortunate enough to have had two exciting visits. The first from Ross Kemp, who turned upunannounced and attended various lessons during the RSOI package, and then more recently avisit from Cheryl Cole who visited various locations around Camp BASTION. Several lucky indi-viduals have now changed their Facebook profile photo to a picture of themselves with CherylCole.

I look forward to speaking to you all in the next edition of the Trojan Times and updating you allon what we have been up to. Until then, we are continually grateful for all your support towardsboth the Squadron and Regiment alike.

Major Chris Darke - Officer Commanding

Page 18



G3 Advance PartyBy WO2 MPF ‘Fitzy’ Fitsimmons

After the tearful goodbyes of leaving loved ones in Paderborn, the big red fun buses made their

way to Hanover airport with a large number of bleary eyed soldiers. Stories of past HERRICK

tours a plenty and the Clk Wks (C) pulling up his sandbags telling us all how he single handily

build Camp Bastion 1,2 and 3. With banter and war tales passing the time at Hanover airport it

wasn‟t too long before the civilian chartered airplane turned up to take us one step closer to

Theatre.

After the first leg of the flight and now with many blearier eyed blokes due to cattle class, welanded in 114ºf Minhad, Dubai where we were expecting 5 star luxuries; I mean come on Dubai,

one of the richest countries in the world, with Ferraris a plenty. We were wrong. An enclosed

area where you either ate, slept or smoked for the 11 hour wait until we took the final leg on the

RAF C17 loadmaster to our home for the next 6+ months. Once arrived, we managed to get

some rest in the holding area prior to entering the RSOI sausage conveyor belt.

Day one consisted of a number of intro-

ductory briefs delivered from a plethora of

departments ranging from the Environ-mental Health Technicians to the Padre,

all explaining their roles and responsibili-

ties in theatre. They ranged from medics

that could give Chubby Brown a run for his

money to Ex US Marine Corps Master

Sergeant who could make it as a life

coach, Good Job!!

Page 19

Transport awaits...............an RAF C-17 loadmaster waits in minhad

The final leg, nearly there.......



Day two was range day with a little PT thrown in for good measure in the form of a gentle walk tothe range in full Osprey body armour. Once weapons were zeroed and all could hit a barn door

from 10 yards, it was on to a number of interest and revision stands ranging from Detainee han-

dling to some Naval Officer who was camper than a row of tents giving the low down on Opera-

tional law We were also graced with the presence of Mr Ross ‟Afghan Vet‟ Kemp, who is a lot

shorter than you think.

Day three was without doubt the best day of the whole package and most important, Op BARMA

and search. The Sappers that took charge of the lessons were a credit to their respective units

and cap badge, ever courteous and very knowledgeable search gods. By the end of the day and

evening of training, all involved were a lot more confident in the processes of searching, markingand reporting possible „fun and games‟ in the ground.

The week culminated in a 12 hour exercise

confirming everything revised since the start

of the RSOI package, a hot day, with hot

ground conditions delivered a good deal of

realism.

In summary, by the end of the package eve-

ryone involved were tired little teddies how-

ever, everyone thought the package was de-

livered to a high standard, but more impor-

tantly the war party were off the conveyor belt

and ready to get stuck into the handover

takeover period to allow a sense of normality

or routine to take place…..If normal can exist

here.

Page 20

The RSM leading the way with the Op BARMA

and search drill confirmation



Ellies blog from Afghanistan

Page 21

Hey kids

My name is Ellie and I am a female Blue Nose Rhino thatwas given to Capt Andy Kerr by his daughter Elleanor asa lucky mascot. Now I could have sat around and got atan, but I decided to go on my own very special mission

to find your dads and their lucky mascots and explainwhat they are doing out here in Afghanistan.

For my first blog I found Captain Stu McPherson and WO1 RSM Gaz Mutch on the ranges pre-paring to fire their guns.

Stu McPherson (on the Right) Is the Resources Officer, he has 12 men

working for him and is responsible for getting all the stuff (wood, ce-ment, stone and toilets) soldiers need to build the places that soldierslive in, out in the desert. He also provides all the bridges that they useto cross the rivers and ditches that block their movement around thedesert. More importantly, during the winter when the water levels rise.This equipment also lets the local Afghan people get to places theyhave not been to for a long time.

He sends his love to his wife and children, Conner aged 14 and Isla aged 9. His mascot is calledBuster the Doberman

Gaz Mutch (on the left) is the Regimental Sergeant Major for 35 Engineer Regiment. This is avery important job as he is the top soldier in the Regiment and is responsible for setting the stan-dards for the soldiers to follow. He will give advice when asked and if soldiers mess up as theysometimes do, he will shout very loud but never for very long. The Commanding Officer willsometimes ask him questions and he will always have the answer (maybe).

He sends his love to his wife, Lexi and children, Daniel aged 8 and Amy aged 6

Remember every day they are away is a day closer to them coming home.



77 TALISMAN SQUADRON

NEWS


Friends and Family of 77 wherever you are. I am pleased to report that with the exception of afew, who will join us soon, we are now settled in to our accommodation in Camp BASTION 3 andwell on track for our full take over from 31 Armoured Engineer Squadron (who will soon be return-ing to Hohne) in just a few days.

When in camp we will be living in relatively comfortable tented accommodation. All of the accom-modation is in good condition. It is clean, sand and dust free and has good ablution facilities.Not far away is our dining facility, which has the reputation of being one of the best out here.There is plenty of choice, catering for both those on a health drive and those who need a good

„fat boy‟s‟ meal! Also, in our „back garden‟ we have all the space we will require to continue our training. This will ensure that our searchers, drivers, pilots, gunners, medics, fitters, operatorsand commanders all remain on top of their game for the tasks ahead.

As you will probably have heard it is still pretty hot out here although it is due to tail off in a monthor so and we are likely to see temperatures well below zero around the mid tour point. There is agood chance we will see a few heavy showers over the winter months, which may turn our cur-rently dusty home in to a bit of a quagmire. However, the men and women of 77 will continuewith their route proving and clearance tasks, for which they are now well prepared. I will not pre-tend that we are not all a little nervous ahead of the first tasks, however this is combined with a

degree of excitement and also confidence, borne out of our preparations so far.

Finally, we are working hard to finalise the plan for R & R, so you should soon know when eachof us are due to be home for a well earned break. Thank you for supporting us all so strongly.You are in our thoughts in every quiet moment and when the going gets a little tough, we knowyou will be right behind us too. Go well and we will be in touch again soon.

Sam Hughes

Officer Commanding

Page 22



CONCO’s Early Arrival

Capt Andy Bostock

Sgt Edwards and I were the first to arrive in Afghanistan from 77 Talisman Sqn. Despite an ad-

venturous journey from Barker Barracks to Camp Bastion, we arrived in one piece. We had been

„on the aircraft, off the aircraft‟ more times than worth counting and we even spent the night in

Cyprus – proving the need to pack spare pants and socks into hand luggage! We were lucky to

get a couple of days to settle in before the RSOI package began. The first aspect of adjusting to

life here is to get used to the heat – on the first day alone we managed to devour 4 orange

slushies each to cool down!

Despite the long first day of RSOI training (delivered entirely on power-point!), the package was

very good. The highlight for Sgt Edwards was the vehicle roll-over training; within which up to 8

people strap themselves in a simulator and get thrown left, right and totally upside down. Previ-

ously, Sgt Edwards had joked about throwing sponge bergans and ammunition tins at me as we

rolled...despite claiming that he hadn‟t done this on purpose, I still seemed to get hit with every-

thing that was left loose in the simulator! After the first go I felt like I had just finished a sparring

session with Mike Tyson! Of course, Sgt Edwards found this hilarious, sat perfectly in his seat

having escaped being hit.Following RSOI we were able to get out of the gate on a deliberate operation. We spent the night

in a Forward Operating Base (FOB) and two nights out in support of one of the Engr Troops from

59 Commando Sqn. We were excited to get out and about and see the ground, after what has

been a long training process.

It was good to see the rest of the Sqn arrive in theatre and we now look forward to taking over

from 31 Armd Engr Sqn.

Page 23

Half way there, Sqn Officers and their man bags.



Page 24

The Main Body finally gets to Afghanistan

(WO2 (SSM) Jim Blower)

After saying my farewells to my family 10 days earlier (Lorraine and the kids live in the UK), it was

finally time to set off and get this gig started! Any time immediately before deployment is usually

the same – several last minute admin points then a bit of a waiting period. As the last of the

Regimental Main Bodies to depart, there was always going to be an element of waiting around

and this can be just as hard for families as the actual farewells. The anticipation builds up and

leaves everyone, soldiers included, with the impending doom of not seeing loved ones for a con-

siderable period of time. Trust me when I say this, after 20 years of marriage and loads of tours,the farewells don‟t get any easier, but the coping mechanism kicks in a bit quicker! To the newer

families out there, please be reassured that you are not alone and the support available can be

invaluable.

Whatever you are feeling, there are loads of other families feeling the same way. I would urge

the families back in Germany to use the Sqn coffee mornings, if only to find out what is going on

and any general news back from the lads. You will soon see you are not alone! SSgt Billy Fish

and the lads back on 77 Rear Ops Group (77 ROG) are steadying the ship back home and if you

need some info, but are afraid to ask, please be assured that Billy and his team will probably

have been asked it already! Without the ROG looking after things back there, we would not beable to concentrate on the job in hand. Communications sometimes are blocked during times of

Op Minimise but generally, they are very good. Unfortunately, no Skype though (gutted!). Hope-

fully, I will be able to pen something a bit more interesting to read in the next newsletter – getting

here is always pretty boring!

A typical bed-space set up...............................luxury!

The new outdoor toilets seem popular?



Initial RSOI Training(WO2 (SSM) Jim Blower)

After the immaculate reception at Hannover (“you are too early – we are not even open yet”!) and

a considerable delay on the tarmac, we were finally Afghanistan bound. After a brief, but hot,

stopover in the Middle East area, a C17 courtesy of the RAF finally managed to get us here. An

obligatory brief later, we managed to get

some well needed sleep.

We started the following day on RSOI. Thisis the initial Reception, Staging and On-

ward Integration training that all personnel

entering Afghanistan must complete. After

the jet-lag (honest!) it takes your body a

few days to get used to the tempo of train-

ing and RSOI really tests you! The tem-

perature is high and even the smallest

movements bring you out in a savage

sweat. We covered various briefings,

weapon firing, Improvised Explosive Device

(IED) training, medical, cultural and com-

munications training and finally an exercise

designed to get us into the „right‟ way of

thinking for this environment. We had

some long days and nights and our 5 day package really felt like 5 weeks! The highlight of the

training must have been Spr „Dads Bag‟ Knowlson‟s diving header to try and avoid a grenade

during the exercise, but unfortunately, he didn‟t time it right and he had to be carried back to our

base (don‟t worry folks – it was only pretend!).

The Sqn are now all together and working on some role-specific training, using the vehicles and

equipment we will have for the next 6 months. This is the meat of the training and we will cover

more of this in the next edition. The Sqn are now settled into their accommodation and are

spending a little time making it „homely‟ (even Capt Mike Barrett, Lt Tim Hutt and Lt Ben Stretton,

who have decided to reminisce about their student lifestyle and carefully place their kit and equip-

ment all over the floor of their room). Spr H Harrison has taken delivery of about 15 parcels (all of

which he posted to himself!) and Capt Matt Neave has left us to work „elsewhere‟ (shush - top se-

cret!). The take-over date approaches and soon we will be in the chair, with more jolly japes in

the next edition of the Trojan Times!

Page 25

All training was as realistic as possible,

although I am sure water in his face is not going



Op ‘Tache’ and Op ‘Massive’ (OTOM)

(WO2 (SSM) Jim Blower)

It has finally started. Op Massive has begun in earnest and the EFI (NAAFI) shop and PX have

nearly run out of „muscle dust‟. The time honoured tradition of using supplements, combined with

hours in the gym, to create the body beautiful look has hooked several members of the Sqn.

Even during the busy and tiring period of RSOI training, wannabe Arnold Schwarzenegger‟s are

hitting the gym. Now, one of 2 things ALWAYS happen during this period:

1 – The 77 Sqn Peter Andre Appreciation Society spend more time looking at themselves in the

mirror than X-Factor contestants and constantly talk of „blasting their lats‟

or:

2 - They spend $100 on muscle dust and then put it in the bin after a week.

I‟m not one to question the desire

for the perfect body (if only I was

20 years younger......!). The only

thing wrong with this is another

typical tour craze has begun at the

same time.

It was initially started around the

early 80‟s and coincided with the

introduction of the soap opera that

was Brookside (if you haven‟t

heard of it, ask your Mum!). I‟m

now talking of Op Tache. This is

the growing of facial hair above the

lip, causing the wearer to look like

something between Tom Selleck

and Freddie Mercury (clearly, this

is dependant of the coverage of

the afore-mentioned item) or a bad impression of a typical Scouser. The camp at the moment is

looking like a Village People convention.

SSgt Steve Salter is leading the way with the Op Tache group, and several members have had to

resign in disgrace after failing the coverage test. I can see this one running and running. Sgt Jay

Betts and LCpl Jay Dudding have been smashing the weights and the muscle dust, in prepara-

tion for their upcoming „Nancyboys - The World Tour‟. Don‟t forget to tune into the next exciting

episode of OTOM, where LCpl Bri Gorbutt accidentally shaves part of his face fungus, and Sgt

Andy McEvoy finally remembers that he needs to use the gym after devouring all his supple-

ments.

Page 26

Op Tache begins..........no, really, look closely!



Sleepy Heads..........Who will be caught next? Any captions intoCapt Bernie Peake please

Page 27



11 FIELD ENGINEER

SQUADRON NEWS


This is the first 11 Field Squadron edition to the Trojan Times from Afghanistan. The majority of the Squadron have been in Theatre for less than a week, so this newsletter will be slightly thinner than those that will follow. Hopefully the articles from the Troops will be give you a flavour of the journey to Afghanistan and the final training we are undergoing here in Bastion.

We will now only be supporting 3 SCOTS (Black Watch) Battle Group. The 2 MERCIAN BattleGroup area in NAD E ALI (NORTH) and 3 SCOTS Battle Group area in NAD E ALI (SOUTH)have merged under command of 3 SCOTS and will be called NAD E ALI. With the exception of achange of name there will be little change in the activities we are undertaking.

After 11 months of pre-deployment preparation everyone is looking forward to putting their newlydeveloped skills into practice. I am extremely proud of the effort everyone has put into trainingand preparing for the tour, whether deployed in Afghanistan or in the supporting back in Alder-grove. I know that every member of the Squadron will meet and exceed the high standards setby our predecessors.

Finally on a lighter note, it as not all been hard work. 24 Commando Engineer Regiment Groupand 35 Engineer Regiment Group have been visited by both Cheryl Cole and Ross Kemp, withone member of the Squadron managing to get photos with both on the same day. A stiff chal-lenge to follow!

Henryk Pietrzak

Page 28



D-Day

LCpl Chapman

Well, finally I find myself standing on parade getting a operational (Op) tour speech from the OC,D-day has come, and all we have left to do is check our bags, get on the plane to Brize Norton,pick people up, fly on to Dubai and get our connecting flight to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan……

sound simple enough? Yeah, wellmaybe not, after all it is the Armyand RAF working together………!

Well, actually, it wasn‟t too bad atall. We did the typical gaggle withbags but we didn‟t have to wait longbefore we were on the plane to flyto Brize Norton, although I did man-age to get the odd joke or two in for entertainment.

Once we landed in Brize we weresoon off the plane to relax in thedepartures lounge were, yes, wehad a 4 hr wait and nothing to do. Afew episodes of the Inbetweenersand a RAF, rubber like, toastedsandwich later and we were soonback on the same plane on route toDubai.

The plane journey wasn‟t bad,plenty of room, comfy chairs andfree food kept me happy enough. Ialso took a shine to the little Cypriotair hostess whom was easy on theeye!

Page 29

11 Sqn waiting in the departure lounge at Aldergrove

591 T.A lads looking excited about their first Op Tour



After landing in Dubai we wereswiftly off the plane into thescorching midday heat. We re-ceived our welcome brief andwatched a C-17 safety videowhile waited to find out when our next flight was. The RAF thengave us the, cough, great newsthat we wouldn‟t be flying for an-other 8hrs! Looking around theroom you could see the excite-

ment on everyone‟s face. Oncewe had resigned to the delay the8hrs it didn‟t feel too bad, I enter-tained myself with a PSP (PlayStation Portable), had scoff (food) and a few friendly gamesof poker with the lads.

Before I knew it the clock struck 0001 local time and we found ourselves on the C-17 ready to go.After the RAF did their thing it was 0045 and we were airborne on route to Camp Bastion. Not themost comfortable flight in the world but I managed to get my head-down (sleep) anyway. 2 hrslater and we landed in Bastion where we were swiftly off loaded and bussed to the RSOI briefingtent to be signed in to theatre. This was to be the final leg of our trip, things could only get bet-ter………couldn‟t they?

Page 30

View from the plane just outside Dubai

Walking towards the C-17 Globe Master to board for

our final flight to Camp Bas- tion.



Afghan Specific To Arms Training

By Spr Hearns

After travelling 28 hours, spanning three days, three flights, and a rather sweaty break in Dubai, 1

Troop 11 Field Squadron arrived in Camp Bastion (BSN) at 0245 hrs local. Once processing was

complete, we were picked up from the terminal by the SSM and the SQMS. We eventually arrived

at our accommodation at 0430, located our pods ( accommodation) and got the great, and totally-

not unexpected news that, NO, we weren‟t getting our heads down but reporting for special to

arms training at 0730, lasting the remainder of the day.

All the briefs were presented to us by various members of the outgoing Engineer Squadrons to

give us good continuity of information and experience gained during their tour. It started with a

lecture on the problems encountered with the construction of FOB‟s (Forward Operating Bases),

and force protection assets. After a quick smoke break we moved swiftly on to an informative

brief about the way the 59 Sqn lads had used, and kitted out their vehicles. The day progressed

slowly forward, with further briefs giving us their insight into other problems encountered, ending

in the evening with the preparation of EMO (Explosive Method of Entry) breaching charges for

the following days range.

The next day, after some much deserved

sleep, was a lot easier. We started with

the EMO range, where we got “hands-on”,

moving through the Demolition range in

pairs. Once we had finished on the range,

we carried out a check to ensure no

demolition equipment had been acciden-

tally kept. Then it was over to the road

construction area to receive a brief on the

new, and changing, standards of road

construction. This was shortly followed by

a brief from the mentoring team on how to

deal with the Afghan Engineers‟. This was

much to Matty Callaghan‟s dismay after

they discussed the Afghans mannerisms, as he will spend a lot of time with them in the Assistant

Supervising Officer (ASO) role. Post lunch we had a short brief on the field washing and shower

facility, and so, for the Sappers, STA training ended, and 85 smiley faces then ran the 100m hur-dles to bed.

Page 31

Concentration…………………….STA training is vital.



11 Fd Sqn AccommodationBy Cpl Kington

With Cheryl Cole inbound to sample the luxury livingin Camp Bastion excitement levels were high. Our accommodation has all the facilities of the Ritz, minusthe silver cutlery and butlers; from pillows to air condi-tioning, wireless internet and even a dress code. Eve-ryone was happy with the initial reception and hospi-

tality Afghanistan and HERRICK 15 had to offer. Thecookhouse has a huge selection of food and drinks,that has even pleased Spr „Qis‟ Raiqiso‟s sizeable ap-petite. For most this will all be short lived as theTroops will shortly move out to FOB (Forward Operat-ing Base) after RSOI training and the driver courseshave finished.

The facilities within our compound (the Engineer area)are actually pretty good. There is a gym, with running,

cycling and rowing machines, as well as an outdoor weights area. We‟ve got our own volley ball court, re-served for the mandatory Top Gun re-enactments,and a lounge with Sky Sports TV, so we need never miss the footy. It has been likened to Butlins, withoutthe kids and the rain!

At the moment, during our initial training package, living is a tad cramped, with 16 men sharingan 8x6m tented pod, however once the handover is complete, and the lads have moved to their FOBs and Patrol Bases (PBs) , those lucky few who remain in Bastion will have plenty of space.

Clearly the Troop will write and let you know about our new accommodation.

Everyone is keen to get out to the PBs, get settled in and unpack any creature comforts that theyhave brought in what will be their new home for the next 6 months. No one more so than Spr „Robbie‟ Lambert who unknowingly brought his prized welter -weight boxing trophy!

Page 32

Just like the Ritz!?



One for the kids..............or big kids

Page 33

35 ENGINEER REGIMENT

WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE

‘BABY HECTOR’

Baby Hector Tales Part 1

‘Something in the Sand’

by Victoria Copsey age 10

One day in Troy, Baby Hector was waving goodbye to his father, Priam.

“Goodbye Daddy, I‟ll miss you” said Hector.

“Bye Son” said Priam.

The next day, Baby Hector asked his mother for a shield just like his father had for his new fight-

ing classes.

“I‟m sorry - but we don‟t have enough money” said his mother.

“But Mum” pleaded Hector. But before he could say anymore his mum shouted,

“NO BABY HECTOR!”

Baby Hector marched off angrily. “I want a shield!” he sulked.

As he walked through his quiet village, he suddenly saw something sticking out of the ground. It

was shining and almost winking at him.

He walked over with his little sword at the ready in case anything should jump out. He bent down

and carefully pulled the object out of the ground and saw that it was...............

Find out what was sticking out of the ground in the next issue of the Newsletter



Coming up in the Trojan Times

Photo Competition - A time to shine. Fancy yourself as a bit of a photographer? Submit your

best photograph to compete against other photographs submitted and be in with a chance of it

appearing in the following edition of the Trojan Times.

Messages home - Another way of keeping in touch. Each edition there will be an opportunity to

let a loved one know you are missing them or maybe pass a message to a friend to help keep

morale high.

Military slang - An attempt to explain some of the words that are used in the military that onlysoldiers understand.

Op Massive ‘Before and After’ - Boys and girls this is your chance to show off those muscles of yours, well the ones you are going to be growing over the next six months. A photograph will be

taken of you at the beginning of tour and another at the end of tour. We can then all play spot the

difference and see how successful you were with Op Massive.

Mr/Miss ???????? - Each edition will be an opportunity for an individual to show themselves off.

Articles should include a small introduction, a photograph and a few funny facts or statements.

Then make up your Mr or Miss name and your ready to go.

Bloggers - Anyone deployed, or at home, who would like to run a regular blog in the news letter

should make themselves know either to their chain of command or to SSgt Allum. If you volun-

teer to run a blog you will have a regular slot which you can update every two weeks on recentevents and what you have been up to.

Any ideas or requests for the „Trojan Times‟ can be passed either through your chain of com-

mand or to SSgt Allum. Your thoughts and ideas are warmly welcomed.

Page 34



The R and R plan is coming together nicely. All efforts will be made to meet peoples requests however

we advise that you do not book holidays or pay a deposit for any arrangements being made over R and R

as flight schedule can change at very short notice due to Operational Requirements. As soon as the initial

plan is in place dates will be passed out to individuals to allow families to be informed.

R and R is a 14 day window including travel time. If there are any delays to the flight home the return

flight remains the same. In order to compensate for the lost time you will be given one day extra Post Op-

erational Tour Leave for each day of R and R lost.

R&R

Keeping in touch through the deployment

There are many ways to keep in touch whilst the Regiment is deployed, including……

FACEBOOK

The Regiment have now successfully set up the 35 Engineer Regiment Facebook page. Please go to the

page and like it to follow our time on Op HERRICK 15. This will be used for pictures, brief announce-

ments and for a link to the Regimental Newsletter.

ARMYNET

The 35 Engineer ArmyNet site is up and running however still under development. More information can

be found on page 18

EBLUEY

A link to the Ebluey website can be found at the 35 Engineer Regiment homepage on ArmyNet.

20Brigade are commissioning a Bde Art Book for H15

It will contain a wide and hopefully eclectic variety of submissions, from the most professional to the mostamateur including:

Prints from Official War Artists

Photos, both formal and informal

Professional sketches in the tradition of snaffles.

Amateur sketches

Cartoons

Accompanying text to provide context

Any budding artists who are interested in submitting any of the above please contact Capt Peake on

[email protected].

Page 35

Message from the editor

I hope you enjoy the Trojan Times. It aims to be as informative as it can be and supply you withan insight into the lives of 35 Engineer Regiment on Op Herrick 15. It is just as important to get

messages out to the guys and girls here in Afghanistan as well as getting messages home. If

you would like to add something to the Newsletter please get in touch with SSgt Allum who can

be contacted on (Germany) 05251 101279 or through the Regimental welfare centre.



Page 36

Spouse and Family Registration for an ArmyNet Account

1. Firstly, you should ensure that your spouse (Serving Soldier) has registered for an account themselves, you

will not be able to register as a guest if this is not the case. Once your spouse (Serving Soldier) has an ac-

count, you can then register for a ‘Guest Account’.

2. To do this you must first gain your Spouse (Serving Soldier) log in name, you will not require the password,

only the log in. This is usually the last 4 numbers of the Regimental Number, and the first 5 letters of their

surname, eg; 1234wilso.

3. Once you have this information, you can then proceed to the ArmyNet web page and fill in the application for

a guest account. To do this, you must first go to: www.armynet.mod.uk. This will bring you to the Logging

In page.

4. Once you have got to this page, you must click the link to ‘new accounts can be created here’.

5. You will be asked to tick the type of account you would like to open, you should tick the box ‘I am a guest of

an ArmyNet account holder’ and click ‘Sign Up’. This will then take you to the ‘Terms and Conditions’ Page.

Here you will be required to read the terms and conditions relating to the use of the ArmyNet website and

click the ‘I accept the terms and conditions ’ box.

6. Once you have accepted the terms and conditions, you will be directed automatically, to the page to fill inyour details and your relationship to the account holder.

7. Complete all areas of the form, and click ‘guest registration’.

8. Your request will then be processed, and a confirmation will be sent to the existing account holder to confirm

that they accept you as guest account holder.

Should you require any further information, and have any other questions relating to the 35 Engineer Regiment

ArmyNet web page, please contact me on the number below, or pop in to the RHQ corridor to speak to me person-

ally.

SSgt Luke Allum

Media Manager

05251 101279.

http://www.armynet.mod.uk/





Have you discovered ArmyNet yet?

Information with regards to ArmyNET has now been distributed. There is a link on the Regimental Face-

book page which will guide you directly to our page. Unfortunately there are a few archived 35 Engineer

pages. You can find the current page by using the link on the Op HERRICK 15 page, the link on the 20

Armoured Brigade page or the link posted on the Regimental Facebook page.

ArmyNet is a little it slow but it is secure. This will be the source the Regiment will be using to publish de-

tail of events so please give it a go and try to get used to using it.

If you are having difficulties SSgt Allum can be of assistance.

I encourage you all to put forward any ideas for the families/ROG page that you think the deployed per-sonnel would like to see. You will see the page develop over the duration of our time in Afghanistan.

I hope the site is of use to you and you enjoy following our journey.

ArmyNet

Documents

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